Calm Foundation
Calm Foundation is a private foundation based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations working in areas including education, arts, community improvement, and public broadcasting.
Calm Foundation at a glance
In short: Calm Foundation gave $67K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Colorado. 50% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $66,500
- +6.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +40.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,750
- -24.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,750
- Total assets
- $957,560
- -22.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 50% first-time grantees (7 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (85% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Calm Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists Lisa Tessarowicz as the contact. Application form and materials, deadlines, and award restrictions are listed as not applicable.
- Contact
Application contact: Lisa Tessarowicz
Mailing address: 2023 N Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Phone: (719) 641-7777
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Calm Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Yu Ming Charter School ($10K). Together the top 10 received $59K.
Grant Size Distribution
60 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 60 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 85% of grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado and 15% to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Calm Foundation open to new grantees?
50%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 14 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 43% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−5%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 138% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $49K (2020) to $70K (2022). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $67K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Yu Ming Charter School Oakland, CA | Mandarin Immersion Education | $10,000 |
| Early Connections Colorado Springs, CO | Preschool | $10,000 |
| Youth Documentary Academy Colorado Springs, CO | Trains Youth in Filmmaking | $7,500 |
| Concrete Couch Colorado Springs, CO | Community Improvement | $7,500 |
| Brave Irene's Colorado Springs, CO | Art & Education | $5,000 |
| Colorado Humanities Greenwood Village, CO | Humanities Education | $5,000 |
| Cu Foundation Colorado Springs, CO | Education | $4,000 |
| Rocky MTN Women's Film Festival Colorado Springs, CO | 3-Day Celebration of Women & Film | $3,500 |
| Rocky Mountain PBS Denver, CO | Public Broadcasting | $3,000 |
| KRCC Colorado Springs, CO | Public Broadcasting | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Calm Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $957,560 | $93,984 | $108,958 | $66,500 | 14 | $66,500 | $65,915 | $48,277 |
| 2024 | $1,233,940 | $137,688 | $107,115 | $62,537 | 10 | $62,537 | $56,424 | $59,235 |
| 2023 | $1,203,367 | $102,536 | $113,594 | $64,536 | 11 | $64,536 | $70,123 | $58,563 |
| 2022 | $1,214,425 | $179,000 | $285,819 | $70,250 | 13 | $70,250 | — | $124,882 |
| 2021 | $1,321,244 | $326,435 | $100,591 | $68,500 | 12 | $68,500 | $99,660 | $58,125 |
| 2020 | $1,095,400 | $394,722 | $65,069 | $49,000 | 13 | — | $214,897 | $42,844 |
| 2019 | $765,747 | $132,500 | $72,302 | $52,300 | 10 | — | $118,035 | $35,051 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Calm Foundation reported a distributable amount of $48K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The filing does not state a mission. Its grants include support for education, arts and humanities, community improvement, broadcasting, and suicide prevention. Grantees describe their own work in varied ways: Yu Ming Charter School says it nurtures an inclusive, diverse community through Mandarin immersion education; Concrete Couch says it designs and builds public art projects and trains neighborhood students in project design and construction; and Youth Documentary Academy says it prepares underrepresented storytellers to amplify their voices through documentary film.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $66,500 across 14 grants. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, with a median grant of $3,750.
The largest reported grants included $10,000 to Yu Ming Charter School for Mandarin immersion education and $10,000 to Early Connections for preschool. Other grants included $7,500 each to Youth Documentary Academy for youth filmmaking and Concrete Couch for community improvement; $5,000 each to Brave Irene’s for art and education and Colorado Humanities for humanities education; and $4,000 to CU Foundation for education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Michael Tessarowicz and Alec Tessarowicz as directors, Christine Tessarowicz as secretary, and Lisa Tessarowicz as president/treasurer.
Calm Foundation is led by Lisa Tessarowicz, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lisa Tessarowicz
President
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alec Tessarowicz
Director
On filings since 2019
0 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Tessarowicz
Director
On filings since 2019
0 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christine Tessarowicz
Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Calm Foundation
How much does Calm Foundation give each year?
Calm Foundation gave $67K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $63K across 10 grants.
What is Calm Foundation's typical grant size?
Calm Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,750, and its average grant was $4,750, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Calm Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Calm Foundation give grants?
Calm Foundation gives mostly in Colorado: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Colorado Springs, CO (10 grants).
Does Calm Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on Calm Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Calm Foundation's largest grantees?
Calm Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Yu Ming Charter School ($10,000), Early Connections ($10,000) and Youth Documentary Academy ($7,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Calm Foundation?
Calm Foundation reported $958K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $67K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $48K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Calm Foundation fund?
The filing does not state a mission. Its grants include support for education, arts and humanities, community improvement, broadcasting, and suicide prevention. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Calm Foundation?
The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Calm Foundation's EIN?
Calm Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-3337097. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 20, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 29, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Calm Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Calm Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/calm-foundation-morg_1faef2ee9a364fbcb097e950c10d7d6e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_453337097_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Calm Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/calm-foundation-morg_1faef2ee9a364fbcb097e950c10d7d6e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Calm Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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